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Joined: 23/6/2006
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As he approaches his retirement from filmmaking, director Steven Soderbergh, who has a long diverse CV, is on a roll from last year’s Contagion to early this year with Haywire. While this summer is currently dominated by the big superhero flicks like Avengers Assemble and The Amazing Spider-Man, it’s good that Soderbergh’s latest about male strippers is getting much attention, not least from a thong-wearing Channing Tatum.
Partly based on the actor’s former experience as a stripper, Tatum plays Michael “Magic Mike” Lane, a professional who teaches the younger Adam (Alex Pettyfer) the nature of his ways. Whilst he has a fling with Adam’s sister Brooke (Cody Horn), Michael has bigger ambitions than just being a stripper for the rest of his life.
For a movie that humourlessly explores the inner-workings of male stripping, in terms of the muscular figures shaving every piece of their hair and creating a different themed performance, you might think this will satisfy the female audience, much like the customers of the club Xquisite. However, whilst Magic Mike does go far with the nudity without going full frontal, it will appeal to everyone, much like the British hit The Full Monty.
At the film’s heart, Channing Tatum is terrific as the eponymous Mike who enjoys the lifestyle of partying, picking up women and making easy money. Despite the entertainment he brings to the young women, he wishes to start a big business but can’t due to professional and personal issues, such as the rocking partnership with Adam. Whilst giving a fine dramatic performance, Tatum also shows off his comedic talent, as shown in not only the humorous stripping scenes, but stands out when he is dressed as Marilyn Monroe.
As a narrative, Reid Carolin’s script isn’t entirely original despite its funny premise, certainly as the film becomes approaches its climax, the characters succumb to booze and drugs, which feels like a standard endpoint. On the other hand, whilst Soderbergh shows the extravaganza of the stripping scenes, he brings the very best out of his actors, such as Alex Pettyfer who takes a dark path, and Cody Horn who has a charming chemistry with Mr Tatum.
As someone who has been mostly rubbish over the years, Matthew McConaughey is shaping up to be a promising actor following his extraordinary performance from William Friedkin’s Killer Joe. In this, McConaughey as the club’s owner Dallas draws the line between funny and scary as he is one for the theatrics, he does embrace the dark side when it comes to business.
Whilst the film falls into familiar ground towards its climax, this is a highly entertaining comedy featuring hilarious muscular dancing, and a well-acted drama showing top performances from Tatum and McConaughey.
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Magic Mike - 
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